clever

clev·er

Use clever in a sentence

adjective

The definition of clever is being smart or having the skills to do something well.

An example of clever is a builder who can construct a deck around any tree.
An example of clever is a magazine that speaks intelligently about politics and pop culture.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clever." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever>.

APA Style

clever. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever

clever

skillful in doing something; adroit; dexterous
quick in thinking or learning; intelligent, ingenious, quick-witted, witty, facile, etc.
showing ingenuity or quick, sometimes superficial, intelligence: a clever book
Dial.
1. amiable; good-natured
2. handsome, convenient, nice, etc.

Origin of clever

Middle English cliver, probably from East Frisian klüfer or Norwegian dialect, dialectal klöver, ready, skillful; uncertain or unknown; perhaps influenced, influence by Old English clifer, claw, hand, in the sense, “adroit with the hand”: for the latter sense development, see adroit, dexterous

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clever." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever>.

APA Style

clever. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever

clever

adjective

clev·er·er, clev·er·est

a. Mentally quick and original; bright: a clever student.
b. Skilled at accomplishing things, especially with the hands: a clever carpenter.
c. Crafty; cunning: “a hard-working kid who rose from poverty, only to be duped by rich, clever bankers” ( Jeff Goodell )
a. Exhibiting ingenuity or imagination; creative or artful: a clever experiment.
b. Witty; amusing: an evening of clever repartee.
c. Characterized by cunning or shrewdness: clever manipulation of public opinion.
New England Easily managed; docile: “Oxen must be pretty clever to be bossed around the way they are” ( Dialect Notes )
Chiefly Southern US Good-natured; amiable.

Origin of clever

Middle English cliver East Frisian klifer, klüfer ; see gleubh- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

clev′er·ly
adverb

clev′er·ness
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clever." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever>.

APA Style

clever. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever

clever

clever ingenious shrewd

These adjectives refer to mental adroitness or to practical ingenuity and skill. Clever is the most comprehensive: “Everybody's family doctor was remarkably clever, and was understood to have immeasurable skill in the management and training of the most skittish or vicious diseases” (George Eliot). Ingenious implies originality and inventiveness: “an ingenious solution to the storage problem” (Linda Greider). Shrewd emphasizes mental astuteness and practical understanding: “a woman of shrewd intellect” (Leslie Stephen).

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clever." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 06 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever>.

APA Style

clever. (n.d.). Retrieved December 06th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clever

Adjective

(comparative cleverer or more clever, superlative cleverest or most clever)

Nimble with hands or body; skillful; adept.
Resourceful, sometimes to the point of cunning.
clever like a fox
Smart, intelligent, or witty; mentally quick or sharp.
Showing inventiveness or originality; witty.
(anthropology, of an Aboriginal Australian) Possessing magical abilities.
(US, dated) good-natured; obliging

Origin

From East Anglian dialectal English cliver (“expert at seizing”), from Middle English cliver (“tenacious”), perhaps from Old English *clifer, clibbor (“clinging”), or perhaps from East Frisian (compare Saterland Frisian kluftich), or dialectal Norwegian klover (“ready, skillful”); possibly influenced by Old English clifer (“claw, hand”). Related to cleave.